Brake system warning and error

Last Friday the yellow triangle in my eyebrow started popping on intermittently, along with the yellow "brake system warning" icon (looks like a brake drum with brake pad) and the "VDC warning" icon (car with skid marks). This is on my 2013 S model with just over 4000 miles on it. The manual didn't seem to consider it urgent, just saying, "Have the system checked by a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer." Besides, the brakes seemed to be working better than ever. No more grabby brakes! All stops were perfectly smooth and easily controlled.

As a producer of a play that was opening that night I was very busy, and figured I'd handle it after the weekend. By Saturday, though, the icons were lit up nearly continuously and the red BRAKE light was also coming on occasionally. The manual has a different opinion of that:

If the BRAKE warning light (red) also illuminates, stop the vehicle immediately and contact a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer.

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OK, so I didn't stop immediately; the brakes were still working just fine, and I was only a few miles from home. It got me there with no problem, and then I had it towed. I got the diagnosis this afternoon: Leaking ABS pump.

You may have already guessed the next thing they said: "The parts are back-ordered." So it looks like I'll be driving a loaner for a while.

Ray

Darn... My money was on bad 12-volt battery!

ok that sucks but at least its not EV specific. have to think that means the wait for parts should be reasonable? a week? did they give you any idea how long?

DarkStar said:

Darn... My money was on bad 12-volt battery!

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Yup. First thing I checked, in fact the day before I saw the BRAKE error light.

DaveinOlyWA said:

ok that sucks but at least its not EV specific. have to think that means the wait for parts should be reasonable? a week? did they give you any idea how long?

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No, they didn't. I guess you could be right, though.

Ray

DaveinOlyWA said:

ok that sucks but at least its not EV specific. have to think that means the wait for parts should be reasonable?

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Based on others experiences with parts availability, probably no more than 2-3 months. Nissan needs to get their act together on this if they want to keep selling Leafs.

Stoaty said:

DaveinOlyWA said:

ok that sucks but at least its not EV specific. have to think that means the wait for parts should be reasonable?

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Based on others experiences with parts availability, probably no more than 2-3 months. Nissan needs to get their act together on this if they want to keep selling Leafs.

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2-3 months for a part that is on nearly every car Nissan sells? if they dont get their act together they wont be selling any cars of any kind!

Another problem with the 2013 model? I hate to say this--but I would not buy or lease a 2013 Leaf today, based upon the numerous problems reported here with practically new 2013 cars, and the poor service (extended wait times for repairs). OTOH, I've had no problems whatsoever with my 2011 in almost 2 1/2 yrs (except for faster than promised battery capacity loss like everybody else).
My 2006 Prius just keeps humming along @ 60K+ miles. Problems so far? a new 12V battery and new tires.

^^^
Yeah, signs don't look that great for the '13 Leafs so far. They aren't horrible, but they seem a step down in reliability from the '11 and '12s. If you want to see bad, look at 1st and 2nd model year Chevy Cruzes at cruzetalk.com and and you'll see a bunch of GM defenders (blaming it on suppliers, saying other automakers use the same suppliers, bashing Japanese automakers, etc.)

So far, my only two problems were the exact symptoms listed in NTB13-069 (charging stopping early for no reason, accompanied by a yellow ! car warning light) and a rattle from somewhere on the passenger side. They flashed a new rev of PDM firmware to fix the 1st problem. Hasn't recurred since.

Another '13 Leafer at my work (don't really know him) w/an S trim also had the same charging symptoms and had NTB13-069 applied. Problem is fixed for good, AFAIK.

Should be no more then a weeks time Abs calipers or the piston kit is probably used on the juke or other similar cars. If it was EV related then yes a few months.

But seriously the problems keep mounting up, should of kept a list of them, mainly the dead battery and the no heating problem.



Fred

Wennfred said:

Should be no more then a weeks time Abs calipers or the piston kit is probably used on the juke or other similar cars. If it was EV related then yes a few months.

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Special low-friction brakes were supposed to be a new feature for the 2013 LEAFs. I wonder if that means the brakes are now different than all other Nissan cars.

With the holiday they might not even get to the car till monday

To the OP; I hope they take care of you very quickly!

This is the first I've heard of this issue. I guess this is just 1 out of 10,000 unit failure kind of thing?

Let's hope so, Or I may go looking on ebay for a ABS pump now!

ZingZong707 said:

Nissan needs to get their act together on this if they want to keep selling Leafs.

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That is (or at least it should be) the main goal of every automaker in the World.

We are intimately in tune with Nissan's missteps with the LEAF, but rest assured, missteps are more the norm in the automotive business than the exception.

but then again, they are held to a higher standard than most industries. we all chuckle over the joke about the speed of innovation in the computer industry verses the car industry including the thought of "crashing" in a car/computer but one thing most realize is that the funniest jokes are ones that people can relate their life experiences to.

So ya, Nissan needs to tighten up their ship, but that applies to every automaker in the World. There is not a single automaker in the World that is not currently struggling to answer a concern at this time.

You guys do realize that the people who frequent this board probably represent about 1% of Leaf owners, right? I like being part of that minority, but a little perspective is good sometimes; failures get a lot more attention than successes.

planet4ever said:

Last Friday the yellow triangle in my eyebrow started popping on intermittently, along with the yellow "brake system warning" icon (looks like a brake drum with brake pad) and the "VDC warning" icon (car with skid marks). ... By Saturday, though, the icons were lit up nearly continuously and the red BRAKE light was also coming on occasionally. ... I got the diagnosis this afternoon: Leaking ABS pump.

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I got the car back today. It turns out I heard wrong. It was an ABS actuator, not pump. (There probably isn't a separate pump for the ABS.)

It took two weeks to get the parts and do the work, but they replaced the ABS actuator/control unit and bled the brakes. Bonus side effect: I am no longer able to reproduce the low-speed grabby brakes problem that was plaguing me.

While they had the car they performed PDM Software Update Campaign P3259 even though there were no DTCs for it. I didn't find any mention of that number in a Google search of this board. Could it be related to the NTB13-069 TSB?

Ray

Driving home in this week's blizzard, a bit slippery, had the same exprience, both yellow brake and VDC warning lights came on, and are staying on. Good to have some idea of what it might be. Thanks. Will have them check it out tomorrow.

It's to rectify a high temperature failure problem with the PDM...

planet4ever said:

While they had the car they performed PDM Software Update Campaign P3259 even though there were no DTCs for it. I didn't find any mention of that number in a Google search of this board. Could it be related to the NTB13-069 TSB?/quote]

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DNAinaGoodWay said:

Driving home in this week's blizzard, a bit slippery, had the same exprience, both yellow brake and VDC warning lights came on, and are staying on. Good to have some idea of what it might be. Thanks. Will have them check it out tomorrow.

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There was a code in the ABS related to "yaw sensor". They weren't sure what it meant, so they were going to send data off to Nissan and let me know. Brake fluid, pressure, and performance all OK, so I took it home. Almost home, and the lights go out, and are staying out.

Was pretty crappy driving yesterday. Maybe some ice stuck somewhere, or the way the wheels spun activated the code and the lights, then today, some self diagnostic shut it off?

Will have to google wheel yaw.

Glad I checked it out anyway, gave me a chance to pick up more LED bulbs on sale at Home Depot.

I have a cocktail of warning lights, including the brake ones.



I had not driven the LEAF in about four days. This evening when trying to go to READY, that is what I get, with the vehicle never going further than ON mode.

Another odd thing is that only front-passenger's window will roll down. The others, including the driver's, do not respond. The lights and other systems run by the 12v appear to work. The traction battery is charged to 70%.

I got the EV system warning icon once before, at least six months ago, and it was cleared by disconnecting the 12v for five minutes as per a suggestion on this board, so I tried that again, but it didn't help.

LEAF SPY reports the 12v battery at 12.7v. From memory, this appears a bit low. I normally see 14.1v while driving and the low 13s after the LEAF has been parked for a while. This Winter, I did have an instance where the car had to be jumped, but since then it had been running fine. I am hoping it's a 12v issue, though. The other possibilities may be more serious.

Berlino said:

LEAF SPY reports the 12v battery at 12.7v. From memory, this appears a bit low. I normally see 14.1v while driving and the low 13s after the LEAF has been parked for a while. This Winter, I did have an instance where the car had to be jumped, but since then it had been running fine. I am hoping it's a 12v issue, though. The other possibilities may be more serious.

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I find the voltage reported by LEAF Spy is never accurate. You may want to measure the 12V battery with another meter if you have one. Raise the hood and let the car sit (OFF) for 30 to 60 minutes, unplugged from the EVSE. Without opening any doors, then measure the 12V voltage. If it is below 11.7V, that is likely the cause of your problems.

RegGuheert said:

I find the voltage reported by LEAF Spy is never accurate. You may want to measure the 12V battery with another meter if you have one.

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Thanks for the advice. I should get a meter. In the present case, I went back to the car after 3.5 hours to find the 12v dead. Had to use the physical key to open the door and the LEAF would not start. I will jump the car tomorrow. Friday, I have an appointment for the passenger seat air-bag related recall and will raise the issue of possibly having a bad 12v battery.